Final thoughts

I was so fortunate to sit at Rachel Maddow’s table at lunch today. It was so much fun! We got the scoop on how much time she has to prepare for her appearances on Olbermann (very little), all the jobs she’s had in her life (can’t remember them all, but handyman (handyperson?) and barista were 2 of the many). And partner Susan was there, too. Very, very nice person, of course. Probably the most frequent observation I heard from people upon seeing Rachel for the first time is how tall she is. Second observation, after about 1 minute it is clear how warm, friendly and approachable she is. Then you add the smart conversation, the knowledge she has at her fingertips and you have one heck of an experience.

Because some people didn’t make it to dinner (I think the moderately rolling ship may have had something to do with that) I also had the opportunity to be at Lionel’s table this evening for dinner. I wish I could recount how he tells a story or makes commentary. I know we can hear something similar when he’s on the air, but I think this is a little different and even a little funnier. Tonight was the last dinner and the wait staff did some very funny stuff (intentional and not) when they delivered some of the dinner courses. Lionel’s commentary (and the look on his face as he observed) was a hoot!

We had a final cocktail party hosted by Air America before dinner. I could be wrong, but this one was much, much louder than the first night. No surprise, I suppose. It was great to hang out with all the people we’d met all week. The cameras were out in force, including mine. I managed to get my picture taken with every speaker present tonight except Marc Sussman. I will post some additional pictures after I get home.

I hope you enjoyed these and you found them interesting.